New Delhi: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar will become the new president of Janata Dal (United) on Friday, amid swift movements of some of the party’s INDIA bloc partners for the pole position in the alliance. Kumar will replace his confidant Lalan Singh, who had been denying reports of a change of guard in the JD(U) ahead of the 2024 general elections. At the party’s meet in the national capital today, however, it was Singh who proposed Kumar’s name.

Bihar minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary today said Singh told CM Kumar that he would be busy with elections and wanted to hand over the reins of the party to him.

“There will national executive meeting of JD(U). If they accept our proposal then Nitish Kumar will be the party president. Lalan Singh told CM Nitish Kumar that he will be busy with elections, so he wants to hand over the post of party president to him and Nitish Kumar accepted it,” he told reporters.

This happened amid slogans by party leaders indicating Kumar would be the most suitable candidate for the post of the prime minister of India. “Desh ka pradhan mantri kaisa ho, Nitish Kumar jaisa ho,” they said.

This is the second time Kumar took over as the JD(U) president; he became the party’s supremo in 2016 after replacing Sharad Yadav and relinquished his position in 2020 in favour of RCP Singh.

JD(U) state president Umesh Kushwaha said that national executive requested Nitish Kumar to take over the party in the larger interest of party and nation. “It was decided by all,” he said.

This come amid reports that Kumar was miffed with Singh as the latter was not “coordinating effectively” with the INDIA bloc over a bigger role for the Bihar CM in the alliance.

Earlier this month, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee projected Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as the grouping’s prime ministerial face.

Before today’s meeting, amid speculation of his stepping down from the post, Singh played down a rift. “Nitish Kumar is the leader of our party. JD(U) is united and it will remain the same. I am not going to resign,” he said on Thursday.

News agency PTI, citing sources, reported that most of the key leaders within the party were of the view that Kumar should take charge of the organisation at this crucial time in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls in 2024. Singh’s leadership style was also criticised by several leaders within the party in their recent interactions with Kumar, it added.

With inputs from PTI